Group’s Ad Seeks Changes by Wal-Mart

A group critical of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says the world’s largest retailer should hire more full- time workers, patronize local suppliers and conduct itself in a way “worthy of the public trust.”

Wal-Mart Watch, a coalition of environmental, community, labor and religious groups, ran a full-page advertisement in Tuesday’s New York Times describing what it calls the company’s “moral obligations” and invited it to open a dialogue.

“Wal-Mart needs to be the leader, the pied piper, in essence, of American business,” said Andrew Stern, Wal-Mart Watch’s chairman and president of the Service Employees International Union. Changes that Wal-Mart makes “will drive all of America’s retailers to rethink their business model.”

The ad, titled “A Handshake With Sam” in reference to Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, is running in advance of the company’s June 2 shareholder meeting. The ad cost the Washington-based group $150,000 and also will run in papers in Arkansas, the retailer’s home state, a Wal-Mart Watch spokesman said.

Advocacy groups Wal-Mart Watch and Wake-Up Wal-Mart, which is funded by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, were formed last year. In December, Wal-Mart formed its own group, Working Families for Wal-Mart, to promote the company’s contributions to local communities.

Wal-Mart is under attack by legislators and advocacy and labor groups that say it must improve working conditions for its 1.8 million workers worldwide.

Wal-Mart spokesman Bob McAdam, referring to Wal-Mart Watch, said: “There’s really nothing new in what they’ve said.”

“I wish they’d just pay attention to what we’ve done,” he said, referring to improved health benefits and other company initiatives, “and they wouldn’t have to spend money on those ads.”

Bloomberg News was used in compiling this report.